A Luxury Wedding in the Hunter Valley

Marli and Peter’s wedding day could best be described as a modern day fairytale fit for a king and queen. Stylist Diane Khoury created pure magic with her use of chandeliers, fresh blooms and fine, perfected details.

T H E I R S T O R Y ...

The entire celebration was out-of-this-world beautiful; no expense was spared and every single detail was carefully considered. Indeed, Marli and Peter’s wedding was extraordinary.

Inseparable from their first date, Peter always knew that one day he would marry Marli. He took her to the Hunter Valley for her birthday weekend and booked a hot air balloon ride as a sunrise surprise. “I had no idea what we were doing or where we were going. While we were in the balloon overlooking the scenic Hunter Valley I saw an enormous sign on the road that said ‘Will You Marry Me?’ and I turned around to see Peter down on one knee,” says Marli. Of course, she excitedly said “yes!” and Peter slipped a stunning princess cut diamond ring on her finger.

It was apt that the couple chose to celebrate their wedding day in the Hunter Valley. Peppers Convent was the ideal venue for their luxurious ceremony and reception and as soon as they booked it, preparations begun. “We wanted the ceremony and reception on the same premises so once we had found the perfect place we started working with our stylist, Diane Khoury,” says Marli. “She organised everything and came up with so many exciting concepts - it all came together beyond expectation.”

A classic pure white colour palette became unforgettable with the inclusion of soft pastel hues; pink, purple, peach and ivory. Ten gorgeous floral arrangements featured alongside the 50m long aisle and decorated the fountain at the altar. In true Cinderella style, Marli arrived at the ceremony in a horse drawn carriage wearing an ultra-feminine couture gown by J’aton. Inspired by a pair of silver netted Louboutins that her sons chose, Marli’s gown was both classic and unique. “I took the shoes into J’aton and they came up with the most beautiful, elegant custom Valentino lace dress. It was very detailed so I kept my jewellery simple with a pair of diamond earrings made especially for the occasion,” she says.

Her eight gorgeous maids wore feminine, made-to-measure dresses in a sophisticated shade of blush, complimented by Swarovski earrings and nude suede heels by Gucci. They all carried billowy bouquets of white hydrangeas.

Once wed, Marli and Peter invited their guests into the marquee for an evening of joyous celebrations. The white fabric draped marquee was pure perfection. Chandeliers featured throughout and each glass table was custom built for the wedding. “Diane chose channel white chairs, custom silver trimmed glassware and charger plates and personalised mirrored menus and table numbers. There was so much detail in everything that our guests were absolutely blown away,” says Marli. She admits that she absolutely adores fresh flowers and believes they light up any room. Subsequently, the floral features in the marquee were big, bright and beautiful. “We had so many different varieties of flowers, including hydrangeas, David Austins, roses, snap dragons and phalaenopsis orchids. We also had a wisteria floral feature suspended from the ceiling.” The marquee’s verandah was the ideal spot for a chill out area so elegant white furniture was brought in to create a romantic alfresco scene.

The newlyweds agree that the highlight of their day was walking into the marquee and sharing the evening with their beloved friends and family, including their two beautiful boys.

Bride's advice: “Make sure you consider a wedding planner and stylist - they really help take the pressure off. Seeing how everything came together was truly a fairytale.” - Marli